It's been more than a decade since professional wrestling legend Christian Cage has been able to perform in his home and native land. He'll finally get his chance this week.
Raised in Orangeville, Ont., but billed from Toronto, the 48-year-old Cage will be on the card as All Elite Wrestling holds its first events outside of the United States. Cage is set to accompany Luchasaurus to the ring when he wrestles Jungle Boy on Wednesday as AEW's flagship show "Dynamite" goes live from Coca-Cola Coliseum in downtown Toronto.
"It's huge, from a personal standpoint and from a company standpoint, for us to break this new ground in a new country," said Cage in a recent phone interview. "It's exciting to be able to get there and be able to bring the AEW product to the Canadian audience who supported us from the very start."
Coca-Cola Coliseum will also host a taping of AEW's "Rampage" on Thursday night.
Cage rose to prominence in the rival World Wrestling Entertainment in the early 2000s, jumping to Impact Wrestling in 2005, before returning to WWE in 2009 and retiring from in-ring activities in 2014 before returning to WWE for a handful of matches in 2020.
He joined AEW in 2021, just two years after it was founded by Tony Khan and his father Shahid Khan, who are also co-owners of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC of the English Premier League.
According to Cage, one of the attractions of joining AEW was to get in on the ground floor of a new promotion.
"Taking this company that's still in its infancy and helping it grow, watch it grow, be part of it grow," said Cage. "I think it's a good mix of veteran presence and up-and-coming young talent.
"All of the ingredients are there to to be successful. I just wanted to be a part of building something great."
Professional wrestling has a long history in Canada and some of the world's top talent are Canadians.
There are several Canadians on AEW's roster, including former world champions Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, both of whom are from Winnipeg, as well as Hamilton's Ethan Page. Jericho is scheduled to wrestle against Bryan Danielson for the Ring of Honor world championship on Wednesday's episode of "Dynamite."
But wrestlers performing in Canada for the first time are often taken aback by how unpredictable Canadian fans can be. The phenomenon is so common it has become known as "Canada Effect."
"It very much is a thing and I think it's great," said Cage, who said his non-Canadian colleagues will have to experience it for themselves. "It gives a different look, a different vibe, especially for the viewer, if you're watching it on TV. I know it's a different vibe when you're there in person. It's very real.
"I do believe in Canada Effect. The audience, they just go in and they do their thing, and I think it's a great atmosphere."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2022.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
